AURORA, Colo. — A woman who told police she had been pulled over by a police impersonator in Aurora late last month later admitted that she had made the story up, according to the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Aurora police (APD) said the woman called to report she had been pulled over by an unmarked vehicle in the area of East 6th Avenue and Havana Street at about midnight on March 25. She told police that a well-groomed man came up to her and asked why she was out with the COVID-19 stay-at-home order in effect.
Police looked at nearby surveillance cameras while investigating the woman's claim, and when none of them corroborated her story, the DA's office said the woman confessed to police she made the story up.
It was later learned that the woman created the false story in an attempt to get her employer to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or some type of travel papers saying she was an essential employee, APD said.
Police said the woman was not trying to create public panic but instead was trying to get her company to take better protective measures since she was being told that she was an essential employee. She is not facing any charges at this time, APD said.
APD has said their officers will never pull anyone over to ask where they are going or if they are an essential employee. In addition, the DA's office said Coloradans do not need to provide any paperwork or documentation that their travel is essential and that there are no checkpoints in the state related to COVID-19.
“Remember, no legitimate public health or law enforcement official will ask you for any COVID-19 related paperwork,” the DA’s office said. “If you have concerns that a stop is not bona fide, call 911 immediately from a safe place.”
The DA's office said several other recent reports of police impersonators have also turned out to be fabrications or misunderstandings. Over the last several weeks, there have been reports of police impersonators in Weld County, Fort Collins, Greeley and Erie.
While there are civil and criminal penalties for violations related to the public health orders, the DA's office said the primary goal of law enforcement is to encourage people to voluntarily comply.
“We need to — and we will — support our law enforcement officers in this time. Making false reports of crimes is lying, wastes resources and weakens our system," District Attorney George Brauchler said. "Pretending to be law enforcement and usurping their authority for any purpose is an attack on the legitimacy of our system. Neither will be tolerated in our community.”
The DA’s office said the impersonation charge is rare and over the last three years only six people have been charged with the crime within the 18th Judicial District.
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